Have you ever thought about writing your own personal vision and mission? What a great way to really think about who you are, your values and where you are heading.
Without a vision, you can feel like you are aimlessly floating through life. It can be hard to get excited or passionate about life if you don’t know what direction you are heading in. A guru who explains it perfectly for me is Stephen Covey. He wrote the book “The 7 habits of highly Effective People”. It habit 2 – Begin with the end in mind, the principles of personal leadership he said the following.
“We are more in need of a vision or destination and a compass (a set of principles or direction) and less in need of a road map. We often don’t know what the terrain ahead will be like or what we will need to go through it; much will depend on our judgement at the time. But an inner compass will always give us direction.”
What is the difference between a vision and a mission statement?
The vision is what you can see for yourself in the future, and the mission is what you will do (or be) to achieve that vision.
Other helpful distinctions:
Vision Statement
A vision describes what you want to achieve in the future. It answers the question, “Where do I want to be?” It inspires you to be the best version of you and shapes your understanding of why you are doing what you do.
Just take a moment, in a quiet spot, what mental picture do you see of what you want to achieve in 5 or 10 or more years.
In his book, Stephen Covey supports you through a visualisation exercise. He asks you to see yourself going to a funeral of a loved one – that loved one being you. There are 4 speakers at this funeral. The first is from your family. The second is one of your friends, someone who can give you a sense of what you were as a person. The third speaker is from your work or profession. The fourth is from your church or a community organisation where you have been involved in contribution.
“What would you like each of these speakers to say about you and your life? What kind of husband, wife, father or mother would you like their words to reflect? What kind of working associate? What character would you like them to have seen in you? What contributions, what achievements would you want them to remember? What difference would you like to have made in their lives?”
Mission Statement
This is the how. How will you achieve your vision?
What actions do I take to turn my vision into a reality?
A great mission statement I saw once had just three key words to it.
Stephen Covey does have a web site and I did find an exercise to support you with bringing your mission statement to life. The survey asks you questions and provides the answers in a format you can use. The site also provides examples of other people’s mission to inspire you.
I really do recommend you have a go at working out your personal vision and mission statement. Be gentle on yourself and do take your time to complete this rewarding exercise. Remember….
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